The success of an institution likes Rhodes University rests on the commitment and hard work of all of staff.  Since we are a small university, the absence or poor performance of a staff member or unacceptable behavior can very quickly negatively impact the other members of the team as well as satisfaction and service levels provided to students, suppliers or other internal or external clients. 


It is therefore important that a HoD/manager is able to take disciplinary action when there is a problem. Such action should be undertaken in a fair and consistent manner which means that evidence of the unacceptable behaviour or poor performance needs to be tabled in a hearing where both sides of the story can be heard. A witness’ testimony is an example of such evidence.  As part of the disciplinary process, a staff member may be called to be either a witness for the staff member or a witness for the University.

It is understood that being a witness (particularly for the first time) may be a daunting experience. For this reason, a guide has been developed to support witnesses: Guide for Witnesses

Last Modified: Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:27:16 SAST